This is brilliant. Business Insider article: ‘IT’S NOT WORTH IT’: Ad Exec’s Brutal Rant Before He Died Of Cancer Is Absolutely Chilling
It’s an idea I’ve been chewing on for a while…the idea that we’re all running around trying to feel important. Chasing ‘busy’ for the sake of ‘busy’ and calling it ‘productive’. But I often feel like I can see the ‘Matrix’ and it’s all a load of crap. Are we really doing anything meaningful? The Ra Ra’ers (yes I’ve been guilty) stroking each other’s egos and patting each other on the back… the question is: When its all said and done, and you’re looking back, what value will I really have contributed? What’s behind the curtain?
Beyond providing for your family, (which of course has value) have we been deluding ourselves that we’re making some sort of meaningful contribution or are we stroking our egos, trying to be popular and maintaining some imaginary grip on ‘Relevance’?
Just asking.
About Teri Conrad
So true! We as a society need to take a step back and see a bigger picture. This cheerleader mentality needs to stop. Congratulations is one thing but the constant Ra-Ra is so palatable and tastes like Fake!!
Well I knew after all of our ‘death’ experiences lately, you would have little patience for it.
Be YOU for the sake of your integrity not for the applause that may or may not come.
I agree Kathleen, but I think there’s more to it than that. We’re so focused on how we feel that we’re busy chasing those good feelings. I think feelings can be quite fleeting and would much rather focus on established principles and values as my guiding light… that and am I ACTUALLY offering value? I think that’s why I’ve been struggling for so long…I got off course. I was ‘producing’ but the world didn’t need it at all. Mostly I was enjoying a raised profile. My goal is to get back to basics and focus on what I can actually contribute.
I have no doubt in your abilities. You are an incredibly smart woman with some great and practical suggestions. I know I have benefited from your insight a lot. I look forward to seeing all you can do and how you grow.
Great post Teri. I’m blessed to be surrounded by friends like you who keep me both grounded and on my toes at the same time.
YOU my friend are an excellent example of someone who is deeply grounded! I appreciate you and your contributions!
BTW …this is why I wrote this post. I actually think this is an ‘idea’ worth sharing. Not interested in contributing to the noise.
Teri: I love the way you’ve captured, in just 2 paragraphs, perhaps the most profound observation I’ve heard anyone make in years. #Boom
OMG! We have been having this discussion off and on for the better part of two years! I’m so happy you put this out there. Doesn’t matter what industry you’re in….the whole idea of “I’m so BUSY, look at me, look at how busy I am” is so freakin old.
RIGHT? The thing is… so many of us struggle with this I believe. Was just reading a post about a friend’s suicide. Makes me wonder how much of our lives are spent just NOT THINKING because we’re afraid of facing the fear of meaninglessness. In the post he shared a quote from Dr. Frankle who wrote ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ (excellent book btw… and I’m going to insert it above):
“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.”
- Viktor Frankl
Great post Teri. The ability to tune out all of the “peripheral noise” (The ra-ra) that surrounds our daily lives so that we can focus on who and what is truly important is not easy to do. It’s what we should strive for on a daily basis. Some quiet time everyday helps to refocus and redirect our energy in the right direction and to the right people.
That’s precisely why I think so highly of you Nelson (and your entire team at Better Homes & Gardens/vision). Quiet time is quickly becoming a very valuable commodity but so important. I appreciate you stopping by
Teri that really resonated with me, my thoughts over the Dec holiday time…. and am attempting in a very uneven way to make more face time with dear friends, away from screens, entertaining ourselves together in walk/talks along the water in Sausalito or wherever we are… thank you for the thoughtful reinforcement… i see it coming from many parts of our culture ~ another fan
Kare ~ honoured that you would take the time to visit! YOU have been such an inspiration to me. It’s the psychology/sociology that fascinates me. The RELATIONSHIPS. Have you seen Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk “Connected but Alone”? http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.html
I do feel another shift as we need to filter all the noise and get quiet… identify and invest in more meaningful relationships. Again – so appreciate your comments/your perspective!
Cheers!
Teri; You know I’m right with you. It was wonderful getting to spend some time with you last week in Bannf (and Mr. Skar as well) and to see you focused on what matters, Well done my friend
Indeed. Cheers Bill! Always focused on what actually matters ~ of course this resonates with you. xo
Great post Teri, Aaah the O’l “Live to Work ” mentality. Social media has only helped fuel the “look at me, I’m so busy” attitude and has also created what I call “disposable relationships”
Disposable relationships. Yep ~ That’s a concern. What is REAL? Who will still be there after the agendas are gone? You’re one of the authentic ones Harry. *Hat Tip*.
This is either extremely ironic or very, very sad.
Let’s look at it as a gift.
To you? Or from you?
To us all.
I think these are incredibly important questions to consider, Teri. And that is certainly a chilling read. To hear someone express that at the end of what the world would consider a successful career/life is certainly difficult to hear. But in many ways, I think I agree with Redding. It seems his issue was not whether life itself was worth it, but whether what he chose to invest his in was worth it. In the piece, he asks whether it was possible to do fulfilling work by combining art and commerce, and his eventual answer was No. He worked at an Ad Agency, where although he may have produced award-winning work, the actual work, was simply geared towards helping company Y sell more of Product X. That doesn’t seem worth it to me either.
There is a beautiful seen in Lord of the Rings where Frodo complains to Gandalf about the circumstance they find themselves in wishing all could be different. Gandalf replies, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
I believe what Redding was saying was just that. He wasn’t saying that in the end Life isn’t worth it, he was saying that in the end a Life that subjugates itself, that is half-lived and compromised may not be worth it. And that is certainly worthy of consideration for all of us.
Sorry for the novel, great thought provoking post!
AJ my friend ~ Yes indeed. (and appreciate the novel!) That is what I concluded as well. My greatest fear is not death…but not reaching my potential and a half lived life. The other interesting angle is how we have the ability to lie/justify to ourselves altering our own reality and convincing ourselves that we are in fact happy measured by THINGS and STATUS. THEN the real question becomes, can your chosen ART become a fulfilling life? Can you really be happy if you’re struggling financially? Do we in fact, each have a bigger purpose? Big questions!
Now that’s a reason I need to be on Google +, interesting and very different chat.
Is it just co-incidence or strange that a lot of “famous” people, celebrities, at the peak of their success figure they’re still missing something? Once there, they probably (I can only guess) realize what they were chasing was simply a mirage? You see them then either lose it or seek spiritual ways to find inner peace. I am trying to learn (Since 2 years at least) to understand that there’s nothing, no-one external that can cause pain or happiness; it all resides internally.
My guess is that once you do realize that – you’d be able to focus much better about your relevance to people who matter, rather than ‘disposable relationships’ as someone put it earlier in this thread.
I think you called it Sandip ~ “Mirage”. What fascinates me is our ability to con ourselves into believing we’re making the good choices at the time. Focus on the short term gain seems to win out. I keep trying to get the 30,000 foot view